THE official Grand Départ Trophy for the Tour de France has arrived in Leeds as the start of the much-anticipated cycle road race approaches.

Leeds City Council leader Coun Keith Wakefield joined council chief executive Tom Riordan and Welcome to Yorkshire’s Gary Verity in unveiling the silver centrepiece before the world famous event begins in Leeds in less than six months’ time.

The trophy, which is presented by Tour de France organisers each year to the hosts of the Grand Départ of the race, is now on public display outside the council chamber in Leeds Civic Hall.

The start of the 2014 Tour de France will take place on The Headrow in the shadow of Leeds Town Hall on the morning of Saturday 5 July.

The world’s leading riders will then follow a route out of the city centre through Moortown and Alwoodley before heading through the historic Harewood Estate and on to Otley, Ilkley and Skipton before a loop through the Yorkshire Dales on the way to the finish of stage one in Harrogate.

Stage two takes the riders on a challenging hilly route from York to Sheffield, while the final day of the tour in the UK starts in Cambridge and finishes in London.